Venice, St Mark’s Square with a tourist (likely Käthe Kerkhof)

Around 1880, private individuals began to practice photography in growing numbers. Some used it professionally, others with artistic intentions. Still others practiced it as a hobby, taking “snapshots”. Their pictures served to preserve memories and life stories that were significant on a personal level – like feeding pigeons on St. Mark’s Square during a trip to Venice. Yet in those years it was mainly the wealthy from noble or bourgeois classes who could afford the pleasures of travelling and photography.